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Pak group calls for protection of persecuted Hindu scheduled castes in country

May 18, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Islamabad, May 18 (ANI): Lending a voice to the long-standing demand of the suppressed Hindu minorities, the Scheduled Caste Rights Movement (SCRM) has urged the government to table a parliamentary legislation in the National Assembly which would ensure the legal protection of fundamental rights of the people belonging to that community.

The SCRM would put forth its demands during a policy forum, which would be held today (May 18) here, during which members of the movement from across the country and other minority leaders would discuss and hold a debate over recommendations for providing legal protection to basic rights of Hindu minorities in Pakistan, The Daily Times reports.

Due to the government’s apathy and faulty policies, scheduled caste Hindus, who form a good part of the population, are unable to obtain National Identity Cards, which denies them an access to other basic rights.

Since partition, the community has been the worst affected in Pakistan, as they have been denied even the basic civil rights. In most parts of the country, local landlords and politicians have illegally occupied religious seminaries, graveyards and land belonging to people of scheduled castes. (ANI)

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New research may explain mysterious dents in Earth”s gravitational field

May 10, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, May 10 (ANI): Scientists have made an advance in understanding the mysterious dents in our planet”s gravitational field.

On sailing towards the centre of the Indian Ocean and a loss in one”s weight is observed because here the Earth”s gravitational field is weaker.

Similar dents in field strength can be observed in the north-east Pacific Ocean and the Ross Sea.

These weaknesses are believed to be a product of “slab graveyards” – ancient pieces of crust and sediment that were pushed down into the Earth when plates collided and are now falling through the mantle.

Since the slabs are denser than the surrounding mantle, they tend to have a stronger gravitational pull.

But when they fall their effect on the gravitational field at the Earth”s surface lessens.

However, surrounding these areas are even weaker, unexplained dents in the field.

According to Sonja Spasojevic from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and colleagues, this could be because the movement of the slabs through the mantle forces plumes of less dense material to rise towards the surface.

They believe the distribution of the unexplained weak spots simply reflects the pattern of these plumes.

“The new explanation is plausible but there are other possibilities too,” New Scientist quoted Norm Sleep a geophysicist at Stanford University in California, as saying.

The study has appeared in the journal Nature Geoscience. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Ancient Pieces, california institute of technology, Dense Material, dents, East Pacific Ocean, Field Strength, geophysicist, graveyards, gravitational field, gravitational pull, journal nature, mantle, New Explanation, New Scientist, Plumes, Ross Sea, sediment, slabs, sonja, stanford university

Kashmiri youth keep Quranic calligraphy tradition alive

March 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Srinagar, Mar 5 (ANI): Youth in Kashmir keep the centuries old tradition of Quranic calligraphy alive with their utmost devotion to this great art form.

Calligraphy, known as “Khatati” in Persian and “Khoshnevisi” in Urdu, was popular all over the world especially Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and different parts of India, including Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mumbai.

But in today”s world this precious art form has lost its importance. However, in Kashmir valley, the art is still alive, thanks to the initiative of Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art Culture and Languages under whose supervision and guidance, young Kashmiri youth are learning this art form.

Young boys and girls get themselves enrolled for a three-year calligraphy diploma course at the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art Culture and Languages.

Students say that since calligraphy is a part of rich Kashmiri tradition and culture, they want to keep the art alive and pass it on to the future generation.

“The art of calligraphy has been going on since the time of Mughal king and our teacher out here also encourages us to learn the art so that the art remains alive in Kashmir valley and we can also pass it on to the coming generation,” said Showkat Bhat, a calligraphy student.

“Both boys and girls are interested and it is a good thing. But yes, as for boys they can learn the art and can go outside like they can write on the tombs in graveyards. But for us, we cannot go out but if anyone wants his/her book to be handwritten, we can do that by sitting at home,” said Shaheen Khan, another student.

Quranic calligraphy is a form of artistic writing using the Arabic script. It dates back to the seventh century when calligraphy was written on parchments or papyrus to make copies of the Islamic holy book, the Quran. (ANI)

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Maldives’ islander discovers pre-Islamic Buddhist relic

May 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Male (Maldives), May 29 (ANI): An Islander has discovered a pre-Islamic stupa, a Buddhist relic, beneath his house in Raa atoll Agolhitheemu in Maldives, while digging to build a well.

According to a report in Minivan News, Yoosuf Adam, from Gulhaam House, found the coral stupa divided into three parts.

“It looks like a pawn on a chess board,” said the Island Chief Mohamed Yoosuf. “The Indian teachers here believe parts were destroyed when Islam came to the Maldives,” he added.

A stupa is a mound-like structure containing supposed relics of Buddha, once thought to be places of Buddhist worship.

Yoosuf said the stupa had been slightly damaged by the digging, as the islanders did not know that it was beneath the ground.

He added that other ancient relics had been found on the island since 1999.

In 2003, large intricately-carved coral bricks were discovered when building the school and in 2006, a small statue of a Buddha was found.

But, according to Yoosuf, the statue was stolen after being taken to the school for observation and the other relics have been destroyed as islanders were unaware of their historical significance.

It was only in 2002, he said, when incumbent President Mohamed Nasheed was banished to the island that residents learned of the importance of the artefacts.

“Since then they started exploring and at that time, the president said there were seven graveyards beneath the island, which he read about in a book in a foreign library,” he said.

According to Ahmed Tholal, assistant director of the centre for linguistic and historical research, officials from the centre planned a visit to the island next week to verify the find.

While he warned it was too early to be optimistic, he said it appeared to be part of a Buddhist monastery.

“Based on what we see in the photos it looks like a pre-Islamic site but we can only confirm once we have seen it,” said Tholal.

“It’s very well-preserved, maybe one of the best preserved sites that we have and that will help us open up to cultural tourism,” he added.

“I think these artefacts give us a glimpse of the old heritage we have and the history of us Maldivians as an ancient civilization,” said Tourism Minister Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad. “We want to share this little known era of our history with the wider world,” he added. (ANI)

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Swampy expansion spurred “Little Ice Age” in 17th century

March 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, March 3 (ANI): A new study has indicated that a vast expansion of swampy wetlands across North America may have invoked the “Little Ice Age,” a two-centuries-long cold snap that gripped the northern hemisphere starting in the 1620′s.

Scientists have argued for years over what caused the planet to abruptly cool during this time, invoking everything from volcanic eruptions to reduced solar activity to a pandemic that killed millions and effectively wiped out the Incan and Aztec empires in the New World.

The only known factors is that carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere fell by around 10 parts per million at this time, mountain glaciers expanded, and global temperatures dropped by as much as 0.5 degrees Centigrade (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit).

Swamps, bogs and marshes may have contributed to the cooling. Their oxygen-poor waters are graveyards for carbon-rich plant matter, sequestering it away from the atmosphere.

According to a report in Discovery News, in a study of 144 wetland areas across North America, a team of researchers led by Sarah Finkelstein of the University of Toronto found that they expanded en masse across North America around the time of the Little Ice Age.

“We can’t quantify exactly how much carbon was sequestered in wetlands at that time,” Finkelstein said. “But we know it was a continent-wide effect. If you look in Europe and Asia, I’m sure you’ll see the same thing going on,” she added.

She thinks that some large trigger event – either solar activity or volcanic eruptions – may have started the cooling and led to more rainy weather.

As wetlands expanded, they gobbled up carbon, which chilled the northern hemisphere further. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: 17th century, bogs, cold snap, degrees fahrenheit, discovery news, finkelstein, global temperatures, graveyards, little ice age, marshes, mountain glaciers, northern hemisphere, pandemic, plant matter, rainy weather, solar activity, university of toronto, volcanic eruptions, wetland areas, Wetlands

Pak group calls for protection of persecuted Hindu scheduled castes in country

New research may explain mysterious dents in Earth”s gravitational field

Kashmiri youth keep Quranic calligraphy tradition alive

Maldives’ islander discovers pre-Islamic Buddhist relic

Swampy expansion spurred “Little Ice Age” in 17th century

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